Car roof



oct'. ,12 1926.

C.- D. BONSALL Patented Oct. 12, 1926 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALI, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO P. H. MURPHY COMPANY, OF NEW KENSINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION F PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR ROOF.

Application filed January rlhis invention relates to car roofs of the flexible outside metal type wherein metal roof sheets extend from eaves to ridge of the car and are loosely secured to the car at the ridge by means of seam covers upon which the roof sheets rock or roll in accommodating themselves to the distortions of the car frame. v

The principal object of the present invem tion is to increase the strength and rigidity of the cooperating portions of the roof sheets and ridge seam covers whereby said portions are better adapted, under service conditions. to resist stresses that tend to bend or distort them -and thus prevent the sheets from sluing or oscillating upon the car in response to the weaving of the car frame. O ther objects arey simplicity of construction and cheapness and compactness of design.

The invention consists principally in means hereinafter set forth for securing a pivotal or oscillatory movement of the roof sheets around the region near the middle of their ridge ends; and it also consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts yhereinafter described `and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing,V which forms part of this specification, and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever 'they occur. r j

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a flex-` ible outside metal car roof `embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section through one of the transverse seams on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1; j

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section through the eaves portion of the roof on the `line 3-3 in Fig. 1;k

Fig. Il is a vertical cross-section through the ridge portion of the roof, the section being taken midway of the transverse seams on the line 1 -f1 in Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a similar cross-section `taken through the ridge seam on the line 5--5 in Fig. 1; and r j Fig. 6 is a plan View of one ofthe ridge seam caps, showing the ridgeand portions-of the roof sheets cooperating therewith.

The roof substructure of the car may be of any suitable construction. rPreferably it comprises roof sheathing boards 8 that ex- 2, 1926. Serial No. 78.811.

their ridge ends supported on the ridgepole 10 thereof.

Metal roof sheets 11 are arranged on the l roof sheathing in two rows, one on each side of the ridge, the sheets on opposite sides of the ridge being spaced apart and the sheets on the same side of the ridge being spaced apart. The sheets on opposite sides of the ridge are arranged in alinement crosswise of the car; and mullions or battens 12 are secured to the roof sheathing in the spacesbetween the adjacent side margins of the sheets, thereby permitting a limitedvangular adjustmentof the roof sheets between mullions.

The roof sheets have their side and ridge margins turned upwardly and thence curved inwardly and downwardly over the body portions ofthe Sheets to form upstanding inwardly and downwardly hooked ridge and side seam flanges 13 and 14:," respectively. Pressed metal ridge seam covers 15 of substantially inverted ,channel-shaped section straddle the spaced vridge seam .flanges 13 of adjacent sheets between` the sidey seam flanges 14 thereof and have outstanding base flanges 16 resting on the body portions of said sheets.` The adjacent side seam flanges 14; of the sheets, together with the mullions 12 located therebetween, are covered by inverted channel-shaped transverse or side seam covers 17 that extend from eaves to ridge and rest on said battens. The side walls of the side seam covers 17 have inwardly and upwardly extending flanges 18 at the bottoms oftheir side walls thatinterlock with the side seam flanges of the sheets 111-. `The adjacent ends of the respective ridge and transverse seam covers 15 and 17 are secured vin position at the ridge by meansof the usual four-way corner vcaps, 19 that are secured to the car by means of vertical bolts 2() which serve also .to secure the running board saddles (not shown) in position. v

The eaves ends of thel body portions of the roof sheets have doubled-under flanges 21 that arehooked beneath the double-back` flangesv 22 of eavesflashing strips 23 secured to the car at the eaves, whereby the eaves ends of the sheet-s are free to move in their own plane 'to a limited eiitent but are lield against vertical movement. rlhe eaves ends of the transverse seam covers l are also held down at the eaves by hooking the doubled-under extensions Q3 thereof beneath the ends of the mullions and the doubled-baci; llanges Q2 of the eaves tlashing strips 23.

The iiangod side and ridge marginal portions of the roof sheets are oiiset upwardly or slightly raised to a higher plane than portion 'thereof to form a raised the body 2d that is disposed substantially parborder allel to said body portion and extends continuously from points located a short distance inwardly from the eaves ends of the sheets along the sides and the ridge ends thereof. Vlhe upwardly otfsetting of the body portions of the sheet along their side and ridgemargins raises said margins above the general water level of the sheets and eliminates any tendency for water to creep beneath the seam covers by capillarity.

rl"he raised side marginal portions of each sheet are preferably of uniform width throughout. The raised ridge marginal portions of, each sheet is of a maximum nfidth midway of theiidge ends of the sheet and gradually decrease in width towards the sides thereof. As shown in the drawing, 'this widening of` the raised ridge marginal portion of the sheet is producedby providing the inner edge of said raised marginal portion with converging faces that meet at the middle of the sheets to form an inwardly extending point or projection 25 that extends inwardly from the ridge ends of the sheets. lf desired, the inner edge of the raised ridge marginal portion may be curved or bowed inwardly yto present a con-y Vex shoulder rib or abutment in the ridge end portion of the bodyof the sheet.

lris shown in the drawing, the ridge seam covers l5 straddle 4the ridge seam flanges 13 of the sheets and have base flanges 16 that rest on the body portion of the sheets inside ot' the pointed or tapered raised ridge marginal por -ions thereof. rllhe lower portions of the side walls of said ridge seam covers are oifset outwardly between the raised side marginal portions of the sheets to form longitudinal recesses 26, within which are accommodated the pointed inner edge portions ofthe raised ridge margins of the roof sheets. rlhese pointed edge portions bear against the straight vertical walls of the wide down portions of the ridge seam covers at their middle portions only, whereby said sheets are adapted to rock or roll upon the contacting portions of the ridge seam caps in adjusting themselves to the distortions of the car frame.

fr very import-ant advantage of the roof construction hereinbefore described is'that it provides a strong rigid abutment that Lacasse Tt'hatl claim is:

A flexible car roof comprising movably mounted roof sheets having upstanding seam flanges along their adjacent margins and a seam cover secured to the car and strat-idling the seam flanges of adjacent sheets, said roof sheets having upwardly oil'- set portions in their bodies that are shaped and arranged to contact with the sides of said seam cover for a portion of its length only.

2. il flexible car roof comprising roof sheets spaced apart along their adjacent margins and hal 'ng upstanding seam flanges extending said margins, and a seam cover secured o the car and straddling adjacent seam. flanges, said roof sheets having shouldered body portions, said shoulders being shaped to engage the sides of said seam cover substantially midwayl of its length only.

3. A flexible car roof comprising movably mounted roofsheets having upstanding seam `flanges along their adjacent margins, and a seam cover "secured to the car and straddling adjacent seam flanges, the adjacent marginal portions of'said sheets being raised above the general level of the main body portions thereof, and the inner edgesI of said raised marginal port-ions being shaped to contact with the sides of said `seam covers for a portion of their length only.

ll. A flexible car roof comprising roof sheets spaced apart along their adjacent edges and having upstanding seam flanges extending along said edges, and a sea-m cover secured to the car and straddling the adja cent seam flanges of said sheets, said roof having their adjacent marginal portions raised above the general level of the body portion of the sheets, said raised marginal portions of said sheets being wider at their middle than at their ends, whereby they are adapted for contact with the sides of said seam covers midway of .their length only.

5. A. flexible car roof comprising roof sheets spaced apart along their adjacent margins and having upstanding seam flanges extending along said margins, and a seam cover secured to `the car and stradd'ling the adjacent seam flanges of said sheets, said roof sheets having their adjacent marginal port-ions offset upwardly beneath said seam cover to form shoulders that are adapted ,t0

bear against the middle portion of the sides of said seam cover and are normally spaced therefrom at the ends thereof.

6. A flexible car roof comprisinv roof sheets spaced apart along their adjacent margins and having upstanding seam flanges extending along said margins, and aseam cover secured to the car and straddling said fianges and normally spaced therefrom, the body portions of the sheets being offset up- Wardly to form raised abutments that engage the sides of said seam covers substantially midway of their length only.

7. A flexible car roof comprising metal roof sheets spaced apart along their adjacent margins and having upstanding seam anges extending along said margins, and a seam cover secured to the car and straddling said anges, the adjacent marginal portions of said sheets being raised above the general level of the body portions thereof, said raised marginal portions of said sheets being located inside of said seam cover and contacting With'the sides thereof at its mid dle portion only.

8. A flexible car roof comprising metal roof sheets spaced apart along their adjacent margins and having upstanding seam anges extending along said margins, the marginal portions of said sheets adjacent to said seam fiangesbeing offset above the general plane of the body portions thereof to form shoulders that are spaced farther from the edge of the sheets at the middle of said raised margins than at the ends thereof, and a seam cover strad'dling said seam flanges and the raised marginal portions of said sheets and having base-fianges resting on the body portions thereof.

9. A flexible outside metal car roof comprising metal roof sheets spaced apart along their adjacent edges and having seam fianges extending along said edges, and a seam cover secured to the car and straddling the adjacent seam flanges of said sheets, the body portions of said sheets being formed with shoulder portions that cooperate With vsaid seam cover and are shaped to secure an independent sluing of the sheets around the middle of their adjacent side marginal portions in response to the distortion of the car frame in service.

Signed at New Kensington, Pa., this 29th day of December, 1925.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL. 

